MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) — The city of Memphis is poised to score an economic hole in one.
Tourism officials said the FedEx St. Jude Championship, taking place in Memphis next week, will boost a bottom line already recovering well from the pandemic.
If Memphis was a car, tourism is its engine. The best year ever for the industry was 2019 with sales of $3.9 billion. Now numbers suggest the city will win the golf tournament as tourism booms in Bluff City.
“We’ve sold more rooms right now than 2019, which was a record year for us,” said Kevin Kane, president of Memphis Tourism. “We are very encouraged that tourism is on the upswing, not just on the upswing, but we’ve recovered quite nicely.”
Kane said the hotel occupancy rate in Memphis is five percent higher than the national rate. And the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC in Southwind is a big draw.
“It’s easy to say there’s going to be millions and millions and millions of dollars in economic impact,” Kane said, “because it’s like that every year.”
The original FedEx St. Jude Classic brought in $20-$25 million to the Memphis economy each year. In 2019, the first year of the WGC FedEx St. Jude Invitational featuring the world’s top 50 players, the economic boost was $40-$50 million.
This year’s tournament features more than 100 top golfers, with many of the same providers returning to the green to earn some greens.
Ernie Mellor, owner of Hog Wild, will be back at The Pit, located between holes 8 and 9 at TPC Southwind, for BBQ nachos, brisket sandwiches, smoked catfish quesadillas, grilled pimento cheese with sweet onion jam and salad sell smoked chicken on a croissant.
“I’ve been through so much,” he said, “you know, when COVID hit, I was the president of the Memphis Restaurant Association trying to keep all the glue together and keep my business going. That has been a real challenge over the past two years. The more normal we get, the better I feel. And we’re going to cut off a big chunk of what we’re selling back to St. Jude, and we’re happy to do that. We are great partners of St. Jude.”
It’s always fun to watch city landmarks like Beale Street and the Big River Crossing on TV. The tournament, Kane said, puts Memphis on the global stage.
“We think this tournament will drive room nights for us and attract a lot of people not only from the region but from all over the country. This is an important tournament,” he said, “and it will be great to see the spectators again.”
Mellor couldn’t agree more. He predicts that the grim little town on the Big Muddy will tee off to new heights in 2022.
“People at the tournament come from all over the place, it’s just fun,” he said, “and it’s a great economic engine for the city; it sure is important. And I think we will destroy it.”
Elvis Week, also taking place next week, will also benefit the city coffers. Fans will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the King’s death and the 40th anniversary of Graceland’s opening.
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